Multiband central controller and method for multiband network operations

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a multiband central controller, a multiband communication station and methods for multiband network operations are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the central controller may be configured for multiband operations within non-coextensive frequency bands. The central controller may transmit a response frame to a receiving station that includes two or more multiband elements. Each multiband element includes a basic service set identification (BSSID) and may indicate an available channel and a frequency band associated with the available channel. The frequency band may be one of the non-coextensive frequency bands within which the central controller is operating. The multiband elements may provide frequency band and channel information to the station prior to the station joining a network that is managed by the central controller.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/680,635, filed Aug. 18, 2017, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,075,958,which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/993,267, filedSep. 27, 2013, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,743,407, which claimspriority to International Application No. PCT/US2011/065122, filed Dec.15, 2011, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to patent application entitled “METHOD,APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR FAST SESSION TRANSFER FOR MULTIPLE FREQUENCYBAND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION” Ser. No. 12/977,289 filed Dec. 23, 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments pertain to wireless communications. Some embodiments relateto wireless local area networks (WLANs) and wireless personal areanetworks (PANs). Some embodiments relate to multiband communications inaccordance with an IEEE 802.11 specification. Some embodiments relate tomultiband communications in accordance with a wireless gigabit alliance(WiGig) specification and/or the IEEE 802.11ad specification.

BACKGROUND

WLAN and PAN devices may operate in one or more frequency bands, such asa 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHz frequency band, and a 60 GHz frequencyband. In some cases, WLAN devices may also operate in a frequency bandbelow 1 GHz. One issue with operating in these various frequency bandsis the ability of the network's central controller to manage use ofthese different frequency bands to provide a better quality of servicefor users and an improved user experience.

Thus there are general needs for central controllers and methods formultiband operations that provide a better quality of service to usersas well as an improved user experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network including central controller and aplurality of stations configured for multiband operation in accordancewith embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates channels within several non-coextensive frequencybands in accordance with sonic embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates the communication of response and request frames inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates some fields of a response frame including a multibandelement in accordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a multiband communication device in accordance withsome embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and the drawings sufficiently illustratespecific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practicethem. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical,process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodimentsmay be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments.Embodiments set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalentsof those claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network including central controller and aplurality of stations configured for multiband operation in accordancewith embodiments. The wireless network 100 includes central controller104 and a plurality of stations (STA) 102. At least some stations 102may be multiband stations. The central controller 104 is configured formultiband operations within non-coextensive frequency bands. In theseembodiments, the central controller 104 may be a multiband centralcontroller and may communicate with stations 102 on two or morefrequency bands. In some embodiments, the central controller 104 may bemultiband access point (AP), a multiband personal basic service set(PBSS) control point (PCP), a multiband base station (BS), or othercommunication station that manages network operations with the stations102, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in thisrespect. Wireless network 100 may be PAN or a WLAN that may operate inaccordance with one or more wireless communication standards ortechniques including the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac communication standards,a WiGig standard and/or the IEEE 802.11ad communication standard.

In accordance with embodiments, the central controller 104 may providemultiband channel information to a station 102, including providingfrequency band and channel information prior to network joining. In someembodiments, the central controller 104 may transmit a response frame toa station 102 that includes one or more multiband elements (MBEs). Eachmultiband element may include a basic service set identification (BSSID)and may indicate an available channel and a frequency band associatedwith the available channel. The frequency band may be one of a pluralityof non-coextensive frequency bands within which the central controller104 is operating. These embodiments are discussed in more detail below.In some embodiments, the central controller 104 may transmit a responseframe to a station 102 that includes two or more multiband elements.These embodiments are also discussed in more detail below.

In some embodiments, each frequency band may be associated with adifferent BSSID, although this is not a requirement as virtualizationmay be used to allow the use the same BSSID within more than onefrequency band. The frequency bands may be non-overlapping ornon-coextensive frequency bands. In some embodiments when the responseframe includes several multiband elements, each multiband element mayinclude a BSSID and indicate an available channel and a frequency bandassociated with the available channel.

The inclusion of one or more multiband elements in a response frame mayallow the central controller 104 to provide frequency band and channelinformation to a station 102 prior to network joining. The inclusion ofone or more multiband elements in a response frame may also allow thecentral controller 104 to perform load balancing between frequency bandsand to mitigate interference. The inclusion of one or more multibandelements in a response frame may also allow the central controller 104to dedicate particular frequency bands to particular traffic types. Inthese ways, a better quality of service to users as well as an improveduser experience may be achieved.

In some embodiments, a station 102 may be a portable wirelesscommunication device, such as a mobile communication device or handset,personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or portable computer withwireless communication capability, a web tablet, a wireless telephone orsmart phone, a wireless headset, a pager, an instant messaging device, adigital camera, a television, a medical device (e.g., a heart ratemonitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), or other device that mayreceive and/or transmit information wirelessly. In some embodiments, astation 102 may include one or more of a keyboard, a display, anon-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics processor, anapplication processor, speakers, and other mobile device elements. Thedisplay may be an LCD screen including a touch screen.

FIG. 2 illustrates channels within several non-coextensive frequencybands in accordance with some embodiments. FIG. 2 illustrates severalnon-coextensive frequency bands 202, 212, 222. Frequency band 202 mayinclude channels 204, frequency band 212 may include channels 214 andfrequency band 222 may include channels 224. In accordance withembodiments, the central controller 104 (FIG. 1) may communicate withinany two or more of the frequency bands.

In some embodiments, frequency band 202 may be in the 2.4 GHz frequencyrange, frequency band 212 may be in the 5 GHz frequency range andfrequency band 224 may be in the 60 GHz frequency range. In someembodiments, the several non-coextensive frequency bands also includefrequency bands in other frequency ranges, such as a frequency band inthe 800 to 1000 MHz range, although this is not a requirement.

FIG. 3 illustrates the communication of response and request frames inaccordance with some embodiments. Response frame (RSP) 304 may betransmitted by the central controller 104 (FIG. 1) to a station (STA)102 in response to request frame (REQ) 302. The response frame 304 mayinclude one or more multiband elements and each multiband element mayinclude a basic service set identification (BSSID) and may indicate anavailable channel and a frequency band associated with the availablechannel.

In some embodiments, the central controller 104 may determine channelactivity on the channels 204, 214, 224 (FIG. 2) within the frequencybands 202, 212, 222 (FIG. 2), may determine channel loading and mayidentify channels with available capacity. In these embodiments, sincethe central controller 104 may be operating on other channels of otherbands (i.e., other than the frequency band and channel on which therequest frame 302 is received), the central controller 104 may possessaccurate information on the amount of traffic being carried on thesechannels.

In some embodiments, the response frame 302 may comprise a proberesponse frame, an association response frame, a reassociation responseframe or a fast session transfer (FST) protocol setup response framethat is transmitted in response to a probe request frame, an associationrequest frame, a reassociation request frame or a FST protocol setuprequest frame, respectively. In these embodiments, the use of amultiband element allows the frequency band and channel to be providedto a station 102 prior to network joining. Furthermore, the use of amultiband element may allow the central controller 104 to redirect astation that is attempting to join the network to another channel orfrequency band that is not one in which the station is currentlyoperating.

The use of the FST protocol in some embodiments may allow thetransmitting station to switch a communication session from a currentchannel to a channel of another frequency band. In some embodiments, theFST protocol may include operating a session on a first frequency bandand/or a first channel. The session may be described by stateinformation kept or stored in the stations (e.g., central controller 104and one of stations 102) that have an established direct physical link.The FST protocol may also include setting an agreement to operate thesession on a second frequency band and/or a second channel, andestablishing a direct physical link on a second frequency band and/or asecond channel. The FST protocol may also include transferring thesession to the second frequency band and/or the second channel.

In some embodiments, the central controller 104 may receive a requestframe 302 from a station 102 on a channel 204A (FIG. 2) of the firstfrequency band 202 and transmit the response frame 304 back to thestation 102 on the channel 204A of the first frequency band 202. Atleast one multiband element may be included in the response frame 304 toindicate at least an available channel (e.g., channel 214B) of a secondfrequency hand (e.g., frequency band 212) within which the centralcontroller 104 is operating. The second frequency band may benon-coextensive with the first frequency band 202 (i.e., they do notoverlap), although this is not a requirement.

In some embodiments, for an association request frame that is receivedfrom a station 102 on channel 204A of frequency band 202, theassociation response frame may be transmitted back to that station 102by the central controller 104 on that same channel (e.g., channel 204Aof frequency band 202). The association response frame may indicate tothe station 102 the channels of other frequency bands on which thecentral controller 104 is operating. Among other things, this allows thecentral controller 104 to select a particular frequency band forcommunicating with a particular station.

FIG. 4 illustrates some fields of a response frame including a multibandelement in accordance with some embodiments. Response frame 304 mayinclude, among other things, a destination address field, a status codefield 406 and one or more multiband elements (MBEs) 404. The destinationaddress field may include the address of the particular receivingstation that the frame 304 is intended or the destination address fieldmay include a broadcast address. Each multiband element 404 may includea BSSID field 410 to indicate the BSSID, a channel number field 414 toindicate an available channel, a band ID field 412 to indicate theassociated frequency band of the available channel, and a beaconinterval field 416 to indicate a size of a beacon interval size of thechannel.

The status code field 406 may include a status code that may indicate toa receiving station 102 that the order of the two or more multibandelements 404 in the response frame 304 is an order that the station 102is to use to attempt to associate or reassociate with the centralcontroller 104. In these embodiments, when indicated by the status codefield 406, a station with multiband capability, such as station 102, mayfirst use the channel indicated in the first multiband element 404 ofthe response frame 304, and if unsuccessful, then use the channelindicated by the next multiband element 404 within the response frame304, as so forth. Stations without multiband capability, on the otherhand, may ignore the multiband elements 404 in the response frame 302and may attempt to associate or reassociate with the central controller104 on channels within a single frequency band.

The use of an ordered list in a response frame may help reduceunnecessary scanning that may be performed by a station 102 whenattempting to join the central controller's network since the centralcontroller has indicated the order of the frequency band and channelsfor the station 102 to use. In this way, quicker network access isachieved as well as reduced power consumption and extended battery life.

The order of the multiband elements 404 in the response frame 304 may beselected by the central controller 104 based on traffic loading so thata station 102 may attempt to join the network on a channel of afrequency band that may have a lower traffic load. The order of themultiband elements in the response frame 304 may also be selected by thecentral controller 104 to mitigate interference so that a station 102may attempt to join the network on a channel of a frequency band toreduce interference with other associated stations.

In some embodiments, when the channel number field 414 and beaconinterval field 416 are both non-zero, the station 102 receiving themultiband element 404 may attempt to associate or reassociate with thecentral controller 104 on the channel indicated in the channel numberfield 414. When the central controller 104 is not currently operating(i.e., transmitting/receiving) on a particular channel, it may set thechannel number field 414 and/or beacon interval field 416 to zero. Whenthe channel number field 414 and/or beacon interval field 416 are set tozero, it may indicate that the central controller 104 is capable ofoperating on that channel (i.e., since the central controller 104 is amultiband central controller) but that the central controller 104 is notcurrently not operating on that channel.

The beacon interval field 416 may indicate the beacon interval size ofthe associated channel. For example, a multiband element 404 that istransmitted on channel 204A may carry information about channel 214B.The beacon interval field may allow the station 102 to determine when(i.e., the instant of time) to switch to channel 214B based on the sizeof the beacon interval in channel 214B and the offset of that beaconinterval with respect to the beacon interval in channel 204A. In someembodiments, the central controller 104 may transmit a separate beaconin each band, however this is not a requirement.

In some embodiments, the central controller 104 may dedicate one of thefrequency bands for communications of a first type and utilize anotherfrequency band for communications of a second type. For example, thecentral controller 104 may dedicate one of the frequency bands for videocommunications and utilize another frequency band for non-videocommunications. The selection of the frequency band for the particulartype of communications may be based on the bandwidth or data raterequirements as well as latency and other quality-of-service (QoS) levelrequirements for the particular type of communications. Videocommunications may require a higher bandwidth, a higher data rate andlower latency, so the central controller 104 may select channels in the5 GHz band or the 60 GHz band, for example, while channels in the 2.4GHz band may be selected for other communications. The selection ofchannels and frequency bands may also be based on current channelconditions. In these embodiments, the central controller 104 mayindicate to a station 102 in a multiband element 404 the particularchannel and frequency band to use based on the content of thecommunications.

In addition to providing multiband channel information to stations 102prior to network joining, in some embodiments the central controller 104may load balance and switch stations between frequency bands andchannels based on the traffic load. The central controller 104 may sendan action or request frame in accordance with the FST protocol. Theframe may include a multiband element 404 that indicates to a station102 to switch a current communication session from a current channel toa channel in another frequency band. In this way, loading can be reducedfor any particular frequency band and channel providing improved serviceto all associated stations. In some embodiments, the frame may includetwo or more multiband element 404 which may be ordered for use by astation 102 as discussed herein.

In some embodiments, the central controller 104 may perform interferencemitigation by switching stations and streams to channels of differentfrequency bands based on interference experienced. In these embodiments,the central controller 104 may send an action or request frame inaccordance with the FST protocol that includes a multiband element thatindicates to a station 102 to switch to a current communication sessionfrom a current channel experiencing interference to a channel in anotherfrequency band that is not experiencing interference. In theseembodiments, the central controller may implement an FST protocol toswitch a current communication session with a station 102 betweenchannels of different bands.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a multiband communication device inaccordance with some embodiments. Multiband communication device portion500 may be suitable for use as part of a multiband central controller,such as central controller 104 (FIG. 1) although other configurationsmay also be suitable. Multiband communication device portion 500 may besuitable for use as part of a multiband communication station, such asone or more of stations 102 (FIG. 1), although other configurations mayalso be suitable.

Multiband communication device portion 500 may include a multibandtransceiver 502 which may include physical-layer (PHY) circuitry such astransceiver portions 504, 514, and 524 for communicating in variousfrequency bands. Multiband communication device portion 500 may alsoinclude a multiband management entity 506 to manage the multibandoperations of the multiband communication device portion 500. Multibandcommunication device portion 500 may also include a common upper mediumaccess control (MAC) to manage access to the wireless medium in each ofthe frequency bands. In the example illustrated, baseband circuitry anda single lower MAC may be provided for the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHzfrequency bands and may be configured for communication in accordancewith one of the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac communication standards, althoughthis is not a requirement. Baseband circuitry and another lower MAC maybe provided for the 60 GHz frequency band and may be configured forcommunication in accordance with the WiGig or the IEEE 802.11adcommunication standards. Each transceiver portion 504, 514, and 524 mayutilize one or more antenna for communicating. In multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, each MIMO-configured transceiverportion 504, 514, and/or 524 may utilize two or more antennas forcommunicating.

When operating as part of a central controller 104, the multibandmanagement entity 506 may identify available channels and configure theone or more multiband elements 404 (FIG. 4) of a response frame 304(FIG. 4) to, among other things, indicate the available channels and thefrequency band associated with the available channels.

In some embodiments, the multiband transceiver 502 includes at least twotransceivers including two or more of a 2.4 GHz band transceiver portion504, a 5 GHz band transceiver portion 514 and a 60 GHz band transceiverportion 524. In some embodiments, the multiband transceiver 502 includesall three transceivers including the 2.4 GHz band transceiver portion504, the 5 GHz band transceiver portion 514 and the 60 GHz bandtransceiver portion 524. In some embodiments, the multiband transceiver502 may also include an 800-1000 MHz transceiver portion (not separatelyillustrated). In some embodiments, the 60 GHz band transceiver portion524 may utilize separate antennas than the 2.4 GHz band transceiverportion 504 and the 5 GHz band transceiver portion 514. In someembodiments, each transceiver portion may utilize its own antennas andthe antennas may be configured for the particular frequency band,although this is not a requirement as the transceiver portions may shareantennas.

The antennas may comprise one or more directional or omnidirectionalantennas, including, for example, dipole antennas, monopole antennas,patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas or other types ofantennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some embodiments,instead of two or more antennas, a single antenna with multipleapertures may be used. In these embodiments, each aperture may beconsidered a separate antenna. In some MIMO embodiments, antennas may beeffectively separated to take advantage of spatial diversity and thedifferent channel characteristics that may result between each ofantennas and the antennas of a transmitting station. In some MIMOembodiments, antennas for a particular frequency band may be separatedby up to 1/10 of a wavelength or more.

Although the multiband communication device portion 500 is illustratedas having several separate functional elements, one or more of thefunctional elements may be combined and may be implemented bycombinations of software-configured elements, such as processingelements including digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or otherhardware elements. For example, some elements may comprise one or moremicroprocessors, DSPs, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and combinations of varioushardware and logic circuitry for performing at least the functionsdescribed herein. In some embodiments, the functional elements of themultiband communication device portion 500 may refer to one or moreprocesses operating on one or more processing elements.

Referring back to FIG. 1, at least some of the stations 102 as well asthe central controller 104 may have multiband capability. In accordancewith an example embodiment, a multiband station may first scan channelson the 2.4 GHz band since that is a widely deployed band. If the channelon the 2.4 GHz band is overloaded and a conventional central controllerreceives a either an association request frame or a reassociationrequest frame from the station 102 on that channel, the conventionalcentral controller may accept the request and risk degrading the serviceon that channel even more or may reject the request. If the conventionalcentral controller rejects the request, the burden is on the station 102to continue scanning others channels. In other words, the station 102receives no indication from a conventional central controller of whereit should try next. This leads to a longer latency to association,higher power consumption at the station 102 and consequently, pooreruser experience.

Embodiments disclosed herein may improve the user experience, may reducedevice power consumption and may reduce joining latency. In theseembodiments, the use of a multiband element 404 may provide apre-association mechanism that enables a multiband capable centralcontroller, such as central controller 104, to recommend a list of bandsand channels to a station 102 that is not yet associated with thecentral controller 104. Upon receiving such list of bands and channelsin multiband elements 404, the station 102 may directly try to join thenetwork on those specific channels, thus eliminating the need for thestation 102 to hopelessly scan multiple channels and risk havingassociation and reassociation requests denied.

As discussed above, in some embodiments the central controller 104 mayinclude more than one multiband element 404 in probe response, anassociation response or a reassociation response frame to recommend alist of bands and channels for use by the receiving station 102.Embodiments disclosed herein also provide rules to govern the orderingin which multiband element are included in the frames. Embodiments alsoprovide rules to govern how a station 102 uses the information in amultiband element 404 to improve the efficiency of the scanning andnetwork joining time when a station 102 receives a probe response, anassociation response or a reassociation response frame that includesmore than one multiband element 404.

Embodiments may be implemented in one or a combination of hardware,firmware and software. Embodiments may also be implemented asinstructions stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may beread and executed by at least one processor to perform the operationsdescribed herein. A computer-readable storage device may include anynon-transitory mechanism for storing information in a form readable by amachine (e.g., a computer). For example, a computer-readable storagedevice may include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM),magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memorydevices, and other storage devices and media. In some embodiments,multiband communication device portion 500 may include one or moreprocessors and may be configured with instructions stored on acomputer-readable storage device.

The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. Section 1.72(b)requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to ascertain the natureand gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to limit or interpret the scopeor meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporatedinto the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus of client station (STA) configurablefor multi-band operation, the apparatus comprising: baseband circuitry;and memory, wherein the baseband circuitry is configured to: decode anassociation or reassociation response frame received from an accesspoint, the response frame including a plurality of multiband elementsordered in an order that includes a first multiband element and asequential second multiband element that the client STA is to use toattempt to associate or reassociate with the access point, wherein eachof the multiband elements includes a basic service set identification(BSSID) field, a channel number field to indicate an available channel,and a band ID field to indicate one of a plurality of frequency bandsassociated with the available channel; and cause the STA to conductcommunications with the access point, according to a fast sessiontransfer (FST) protocol, wherein the communications according to the FSTprotocol are initiated in response to communication of an FST frame thatincludes the first multiband element, wherein the memory is configuredto store the first multiband element.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the association or reassociation response frame is a FSTresponse frame.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein baseband circuitryis to cause the STA to attempt to associate or reassociate with theaccess point on the channel indicated in the channel number field whenthe channel number field and a beacon interval field of the multibandelement are both nonzero.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each ofthe multiband elements is to indicate said one of the frequency bands bya band ID value representing one of a plurality of non-coextensivefrequency bands within which the STA is configured to operate.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseband circuitry is to implement amultiband management entity to manage multiband operations of the STA.6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseband circuitry is to decodethe association or reassociation response frame as one of: a proberesponse frame, an association response frame, a reassociation responseframe or a FST protocol setup response frame.
 7. The apparatus of claim1, further comprising: transceiver circuitry operatively coupled to thebaseband circuitry, the transceiver circuitry to be operatively coupledto at least one antenna element.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe band ID field is to indicate one of the plurality of frequency bandsfrom among a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHZ frequency band, and a 60GHz frequency band.
 9. At least one non-transitory machine-readablemedium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of aclient station (STA) configurable for multi-band, operation, cause theSTA to: decode an association or reassociation response frame receivedfrom an access point, the response frame including a plurality ofmultiband elements ordered in an order that includes a first multibandelement and a sequential second multiband element that the STA is to useto attempt to associate or reassociate with the access point; whereineach of the multiband elements includes a basic service setidentification (BSSID) field, a channel number field to indicate anavailable channel, and a band ID field to indicate one of a plurality offrequency bands associated with the available channel; and conductcommunications with the access point according to a fast sessiontransfer (FST) protocol, wherein the communications according to the FSTprotocol are initiated in response to communication of an FST frame thatincludes the first multiband element.
 10. The at least onenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9 wherein theassociation or reassociation response frame is a FST response frame. 11.The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9,wherein the instructions are to further is to cause the STA to attemptto associate or reassociate with the access point on the channelindicated in the channel number field when the channel number field anda beacon interval field of the multiband element are both nonzero. 12.The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11,wherein each of the multiband elements is to indicate said one of thefrequency bands by a band ID value representing one of a plurality ofnon-coextensive frequency bands within which the STA is configured tooperate.
 13. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the instructions are to further cause the STA todecode the association or reassociation response frame as one of: aprobe response frame, an association response frame, a reassociationresponse frame or a fast session transfer (FST) protocol setup responseframe.
 14. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the band ID field is to indicate one of the pluralityof frequency bands from among a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 5 GHZfrequency band, and a 60 GHz frequency band.
 15. A method for fastsession transfer (FST) by a client station (STA) configurable formulti-band operation, the method comprising: decoding, by the STA, anassociation or reassociation response frame received from an accesspoint, the response frame including a plurality of multiband elementsordered in an order that includes a first multiband, element and asequential second multiband element that the STA is to use to attempt toassociate or reassociate with the access point; wherein each of themultiband elements includes a basic service set identification (BSSID)field, a channel number field to indicate an available channel, and aband ID field to indicate one of a plurality of frequency bandsassociated with the available channel; and conducting communications, bythe STA, with the access point according to a fast session transfer(FST) protocol, wherein the communications according to the FST protocolare initiated in response to communication of an FST frame that includesthe first multiband element.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein theassociation or reassociation response frame is a FST response frame. 17.The method of claim 15, further comprising: attempting to associate orreassociate, by the STA, with the access point on the channel indicatedin the channel number field when the channel number field and a beaconinterval field of the multiband element are both nonzero.